Coin-freed clock.



P. BONHOMME.

G01N FRBED GLUK.

APPLIOATION F1LB11JULY9,1913.

1,16,128. Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

TiN-TTB@ STATES PATENT UFFTCE.

PHILORUIVI BONHOMME, 0F MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

COIN-FREED CLOCK.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, Pi-HLORUM BON- noamm, a subject of the Kingof Great Britain, and resident of 7 Place DArmes, in the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-F reed Clocks, and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The invention is a new or improved coinfreed clock and has for its object to combine with the ordinary clock mechanism a ooin-.in-the-slot mechanism for starting1 and stopping the clock mechanism and further to accomplish this result in a very cheap and simple manner.

The device is intended to be used in connection with a new insurance scheme in which the owner of the clock is insured so long as the clock is working, therefore in order to keep the clock workingr a coin must be put in the slot at regular intervals.

The invention, broadly speaking comprises a train of gears operatively connected to some rotating part of the clock mechanism, which said gears slowly rotate a coin receiving' pocket which, after traveling a certain distance, rings an alarm indicating; that another coin is required. Certain devices are also provided so that the clock mechanism cannot be wound unless the new coin is put in the slot.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the accompanying` drawings in which- Figure 1 is a rear view showing a vertical section through the casing in order to illustrate a coin-freed mechanism therein. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view through the casing` on the line A--A Fig. l. Fig'. 3 is an elevation of the rear side of the device. Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective detail of the alarm release and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the slot cut-off.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each ig'ure i Referringl t0 the drawings, 1 is the winding' arbor of the clock mechanism on the squared end of which is slidably arranged a pinion 2 having` clutch teeth 3 on its outer surface and the ,qrooved collar 4l on its inner surface. The pinion 2 is arranged to rotate at all times with the arbor 1 and is geared Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led .Tuly 9, 1913.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

serial No. 778,107.

to a reducing' gear wheel 5 suitably jourualed to the back of the clock casing and having' a pinion G in its outer surface rotating therewith. The pinion 6 meshes with another reducing` gear 7 journaled to rotate with a spindle S journaled at one end n the clock casing' and at the other end in a bracket 9 secured to the 4edgar of the clock casing. It will thus be seen that the spindle 8 rotates at a much slower speed than the arbor 1.

10 is a coin receiving' pocket formed of a pair of jaws 11. and 12, the former being hinged to the latter at its lower end 13 and havinga slot fitting over the spindle 8 while the jaw 12 is rigidly secured to the said spindle 8.

141 is a clutch lever in the form of a flat sp1-infr bifurcated at its end 15 on to the spindle S, threaded on to said spindle at 16,

and bifurcated to the grooved Collar 4 at 17,

and having' a fulcrum 1S intermediate of its length in the form 0f a cross bar soldered to its under side. The clutch lever 111 in its normal position presses the jaw 11 toward the jaw 12 and at the other end holds the pinion 2 in its innermost position on the arbor 1.

19 is the casing of the coin-freed mechanism, inclosing the said mechanism and secured to the back of the clock by lugs 20, said casing being` partitioned oil in its interior to form a coin box 21 at the lower end to which access `may be had by a door 22 at one end. A door 23 may be also provided in the back wall. of the clock to give access to the coin-freed mechanism. A coin chute 24 extends upwardly into the casing from the coin box 21 and is adapted to receive the coin when it is dropped from the pocket 10 and guide it into the box 21.

25 is the windinghandle of the clock mechanism journaled in the casing 19 on a spindle 26 in axial alinement with the arbor 1, said spindle 26 having a ratchet wheel 27 at its inner end with a bar 28 across its inner face.

ln Fig'. 1 the coin-freed mechanism is shown in its run down position, that is to say, another coin is needed, therefore the mouth of the jaws 11 and 12 in this positlon are opposite the coin slot 29 in the casingr 19.

When a coin is inserted through the slot 29 `it enters the pocket 10 between the jaws 11 and 12 (which are flared at their' mouth ends) and separate the said jaws to a distance corresponding to the thickness of the coin, the jaw 11 swinging on its hinge 18 s thus pushing down the end 15 of the clutch lever 14 which swings on its fulcrum 1S and slides the pinion 2 along the arbor 1 until its clutch teeth are engaged by the bar 28 of the ratchet 27. The windinc' handle 1o 25 can now he turned to wind up the clock mechanism by rotating the pinion 2 and arbor 1. lThe rotation of the arbor 1 has the eect of rotating the wheels and .f' and bringing around the pocket and the coin contained therein in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 1, this movement continuing until a linger 30 at the mouth end 4of the jaw 11 contacts the inner side of a stationary inclined lug 31 projecting up from the back of the cloclr casing. Further inovement rides the finger along the incline 81 and pulls the jaw 11 a farther distance from the jaw 12 thereby releasing` the coin which drops into thel box 21 by way 25 of the chute 24. The 'finger BO by contact with the lug 31 eventually prevents further winding and the mechanism then starts to reverse by reason of the arbor 1 being rotated. in the opposite direction by the clock 3o mechanism. In reversing, the finger 8O again moves off the lug 31 and the jaws 11 and 12 spring toward each other, thus, through the clutch lever 14, sliding the pinion 2 back along the arbor 1 and separating the clutch teeth 8 from the bar 28, therefore it will at once be seen that the pinion 2 cannot be turned again until another coin is placed in the pocket 10.

At a short distance before the pocket 10 4o reaches the limit of its unwinding movement an inwardly projecting finger 32 from the jaw 12, having an inclined enc 33, rides over the alarm lever 34 and, in doing so, pushes the said lever downwardly thusJ setting off the alarm and indicating to the owner of the clock that another coin must shortly be placed in the slot. ln the winding movement, the incline 33 passes under the alarm lever 34, merely springing it back 5o without operating it.

If no coin is placed in the slot within a certain time (half an hour) after the alarm has rung, a linger 35 projecting from the jaw 12 contacts the shoulder 36 of a slot cut-olf leaf 37 which is hinged at 38 to the under side of the casing 19 adjacent to the slot 29, and the said finger therefore swings the leaf 37 on its hinge and closes the slot 29, at the same time bringing the coin-freed mechanism and clock mechanism to a stop. In order that the pocket 10 may be adapted for diiferent thicknesses of coin without changing the design, an adjusting screw 39 passes through the jaw 12 and contacts a 55 spring 40 secured at its upper end to the 1,10e,ias

jaw 12. The turning of the screw 39 will obviously adjust the size of the space between the jaws.

Vilhat l claim is:

1. in a coin-freed clock mechanism, the combination with the clock having a winding arbor, of a coin receiving pocket and gears adapted to slowly rotate said pocket from said windingarbor when the clock mechanism is running, stop devices for arresting the rotation of said coin pocket and consequently stopping the clock mechanism after a certain period, a winding key suitably journaled, clutch means on said winding arbor and said winding key, and means to cause engagement of said clutch means through the insertion of a coin into said pocket.

In a coin-freed cloclr mechanism, the combination with the clock having a winding arbor and an alarm, of a coin receiving pocket and gears adapted to slowly rotate said pocket from said winding arbor when the clock mechanism is running, means for arresting said pocket after a certainl period of travel with consequent stopping of the clock, means for releasing the alarm at a certain point in the rotation of the pocket,

a winding hey suitably journaled, clutch means on said winding arbor and said winding key and means to cause the engagement of said clutch means through the insertion of a coin into said pocket.

3. ln a coin-freed clock mechanism, the combination with a clock having a winding arbor, of a casing at the back of said clock having a coin slot therein, a pinion mounted on said winding arbor, a coin receiving pocket adapted to slowly rotate when the elo-cl: mechanism is running, gears to cause said rotation from the winding arbor through the medium of said pinion, said coin pocket having a mouth which moves toward said coin slot when the clock is unwinding, means for stopping the rotation of said pocket with said mouth beneath said slot, a winding key suitably journaled, clutch means on said winding arbor and said key and means to cause the engagement of said clutch means through the insertion of a coin in said pocket.

4. In a coin freed clock mechanism, the combination with a clock having a winding arbor, of a pinion slidably keyed to said winding arbor, a casing having a coin slot therein, a winding` spindle j ournaled in said casing in axial alinement with said pinion and having a clutch tooth adapted for engagement with the clutch teeth on said pinion, a coin receiving pocket and Igears connecting said pocket with said arbor pinion to provide for slow rotation of said pocket, means for sliding said pinion and its teeth into engagement with said winding spindle teeth when a coin is placed through said slot into said pocket and means for releasing said coin and clutch teeth after winding.

5. ln a coin freed clock mechanism, the combination with a clock having a winding arbor, a easing having a coin slot therein, a coin receiving pocket comprising a fixed jaw and a hinged jaw terminating in a mouth adapted to be positioned beneath said slot, a pinion slidably keyed to said winding arbor and having clutch teeth, a winding spindle jonrnaled in said casing in axial alinement with said pinion and having a corresponding clutch tooth, a train oi gears connecting said pinion and said coin pocket and whereby the latter is slowly rotated when the clock is running, a lever engaging said pinion at one end and said hinged jaw at the other end and adapted to move the pinion into engagement with said Winding spindle when the jaws are opened by the insertion of a eoin therebetween and automatic means for further opening said jaws to drop the coin after winding.

6. In a coin freed clock mechanism, the

combination with a clock having a winding arbor, of a casing at the back oit' said clock having a eoin slot therein, a eoin receiving pocket, a winding key suitably journaled in said casing, clutch means on said winding arbor and said key and means to cause engagement of said clutch means through the insertion of a coin in said pocket, gears revolubly connecting said winding arbor and said coin pocket whereby said mouth is moved away from said slot in Winding and toward said slot in nnwinding, an alarm, means for releasing said alarm as said mouth end approaches said slot, and a slot ent-off adapted to be operated by said pocket reaching its limit of movement in the unwinding` direction.

Signed at the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, this 17th day of June, 1913.

PHILORUM BONI-IOBTME.

Witnesses M. PATENAUDE, C. PATENAUDE.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, ID. C. 

